


a thin line

by TheQueenInTheNorth



Series: lou's mcu kink bingo [6]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-09
Updated: 2019-03-09
Packaged: 2019-11-14 10:16:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18050603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheQueenInTheNorth/pseuds/TheQueenInTheNorth
Summary: Sinara isn't entirely sure whether the promotion is really worth getting saddled with Prince Kasius as her partner.





	a thin line

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Namiinee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Namiinee/gifts).



> for the square 'characters are coworkers'

Sinara was delighted with her promotion, which came with a room of her own that, albeit barely fitting a bed and small desk, was still leagues better than the barrack dorms.

She was considerably less delighted with her partner in training the new recruits - Prince Kasius, who had an opinion on everything and the incessant need to make those opinions known.

Probably the most annoying part about his jabbering was that he very rarely was wrong and even when he was, Sinara was the only one to tell him off. Royalty or not, they were the same rank on paper, and he had no authority over her as far as she was concerned. But that just lead to Kasius trying to engage her in conversation even more, lamenting how he was supposed to learn something here and even the generals would not dare correct him.

“Should’ve stayed in the capital, then,”Sinara said one day when she’d had enough of him going on while she was trying to eat in peace.

The look he gave here was utterly miserable and he pushed his food around his plate listlessly.“I should have, shouldn’t I?”

She got the distinct impression that the placement on Nux wasn’t something he had been consulted about. Didn’t mean it gave him free rein to make her life difficult.

* * *

The recruits had hastily cleared from the room, breathing a communal sigh of relief as Sinara had dismissed them with a wave of her hand without turning away from Kasius. It wasn’t common but sometimes their instructors dragged them into their arguments about which strategy was more useful and neither of them was pleasant to disagree with.

“You’re trying to make them all think like generals,”Sinara said.“Trying to make them understand every aspect of tactic-”

“Of course I am! We’re here to teach them,”he interrupted, entirely missing her point.

She threw up her hands with a click of her tongue.“We’re teaching them to be soldiers. We’re not teaching them to be generals.”

“We might as well.” Kasius crossed his arms, all petulant rich brat.“The Imperial Forces always need good generals.”

She laughed without mirth.“They need canon fodder. That’s what we’re producing here. We’re just making sure it knows how to drag as many enemies as possible into the grave along the way.” She jabbed a finger into his chest, and he stumbled back.“The upper ranks get filled with the likes of you. These kids at best get filled with bullets.”

He was stunned enough that he did not immediately reply and Sinara spun on her heel, hurrying from the room, heart beating faster than usual as she mentally chastised herself for her outburst. It had been a very nearly treasonous sentiment to express, to the prince no less.

“Sinara, wait.” He was close behind, apparently not done with talking.“I’m not saying you’re wrong. But don’t you think we should offer them the best chance they can get?”

She refrained from rolling her eyes. On top of all else, the fool was an idealist.“I think I need a shower.”

“Don’t just change the subject.” He kept pace, gesturing with his perfectly manicured hands as he went on.“They can rise through the ranks. I admit they have a harder time but aren’t you the perfect example to prove it is possible?”

This time she rolled her eyes. One lowborn out of thousands - the nobles who didn’t make general just stayed in their villas, nice and cozy. She took a left towards the washrooms without answering.

“Where are you going?”Kasius demanded.“Don’t just walk away from me when I’m talking to you.”

“Told you. Showers.” She paused in front of the door, giving him a smirk.“You’re welcome to follow me and keep talking, but I’m going to go shower now.”

She left him standing there, not thinking any more of it until the door swung open after all.

“There’s soldiers here of higher birth that answer to you,”Kasius said, marching into the room and then stopping dead in his tracks.“You’re naked.”

“Astute observation.” She made no move to cover herself, instead cocking her head to the side as she watched the colour rise in his cheeks.“Is that not how showers work back in the capital?”

“I thought you were just saying it to get rid of me;”he admitted, making far too intense eye contact in his effort not to look below her face.

“Well, I wasn’t. So what was it you wanted to say so urgently?”

“Uhm. Right.” By the look on his face, he’d be hard-pressed to even remember his own name.“I was - the ranks -”

Sinara sighed, a little exaggerated, because a surprisingly large part of her wanted to giggle instead.“Kasius. Just look before your neck snaps.”

He didn’t need to be told twice, eyes trailing down her body and back up again so slowly she thought her cheeks were probably nearly as flushed as his when he met her gaze again. His eyes were unusually dark and he cleared his throat before he spoke.“Perhaps we’d better discuss this over dinner.”

“Perhaps,”Sinara said, and then turned on the shower, stepping under the warm spray of water.

Kasius strode to the shower furthest from her, back to her as he stripped down, allowing her to look as much as she liked without the awkwardness of him knowing. He wasn’t much of a fighter but one would never be able to tell by his physique, broad shoulders and a surprisingly muscular back that just screamed for her to rake her nails across.

She chuckled as her water suddenly turned hotter because Kasius used too much of the cold. The sound echoed around the near-empty tiled room, and she almost felt bad when a renewed blush crept up Kasius’ neck. But only almost.

* * *

“So, are you actually going to have dinner with me?”Kasius asked, smiling at her over the stack of soldier assessments they were filling out.

There was a thin line between annoying and endearing with that man but he’d somehow managed to stay on the right side of it all day.

She finished the section she was working on before looking up.“Since when do you ask before just putting your tray down and starting to talk my ear off?”

“Oh.” He wetted his lips nervously.“I meant dinner off-base, actually. You, me, proper food, perhaps some wine?”

She frowned.“Like a date?”

Kasius nodded, a little crestfallen.“Is that a no, then?”

“Not exactly,”she said with a shrug.“But you don’t have to do the whole romance crap if you want to see me naked again. You can just ask.”

“I don’t want to - well, no, of course I want to see you naked again,”he replied, voice surprisingly calm considering his furious blush.“I would just like to do the whole, ah, _romance crap,_ too.”

That she really hadn’t expected. She couldn’t say it was an unwelcome surprise, though.

She grinned.“In that case, pick me up at seven. And wear something nice.”


End file.
